JC Romero Released

The Phillies have DFA’d LOOGY J.C. Romero. Would the Mets be interested in picking him up?

While Tim Byrdak has been effective recently, I’m not sure he’ll keep it up. Further, it wouldn’t kill the Mets to have another LOOGY in the ‘pen, particularly when they have to face that team with the red hats and players named Howard and Utley.

Romero’s stats are not that great, and though he’s always had control issues, his walks are way up — 12 in only 16 innings. But there is a major reason for his ineffectiveness: he’s faced 45 righthanded hitters and 28 lefties. The RHs are hitting .297 with an .867 OPS against him; the LHs are at .208 / .530.

I always prefer a pitcher who can get hitters of both sides out, but the Mets have had trouble finding lefties who can get anyone out; Romero has proven he can at least retire lefthanded hitters. Used exclusively in that role, he could be effective.

Joe Janish began MetsToday in 2005 to provide the unique perspective of a high-level player and coach -- he earned NCAA D-1 All-American honors as a catcher and coached several players who went on to play pro ball. As a result his posts often include mechanical evaluations, scout-like analysis, and opinions that go beyond the numbers. Follow Joe's baseball tips on Twitter at @onbaseball and at the On Baseball Google Plus page.